The goal of the Church is not to create attenders, tithers or ministry participants. It is not even to create program volunteers, although that may overlap with the true goal. The great commission commands us to make disciples. Every church would accept this in principle. But what is the plan to make disciples? I think many churches just hope that it will happen. The pastor may teach on the importance of mentoring and then hope someone will get it and decide to mentor a new Christian. Many churches likely are seeking some discipleship goals through small groups. That can be a means but attending a small group does not equate discipleship. Most small groups (from my experience) are primarily about fellowship and support. Those are good things but they are not the same as discipleship…

Christian Youth in America. Frank Turek of Cross Examined shares that 3 out of 4 Christian teens are walking away from the church after they leave home. Frank Turek and the CrossExamined team are committed to reversing this alarming trend. Invite us to your campus and we'll present a dynamic interactive seminar that will show you why Christianity is true and why it takes a lot more faith to be an atheist! For more information, please visit http://www.CrossExamined.org

Yesterday we saw how, in a new paper, evolutionists Warren Allmon and Robert Ross reformulate the argument for evolution from homologous structures. The paper makes several mistakes, but is important because it is a rare case of evolutionists (i) recognizing the religion in evolutionary thinking, and (ii) trying to do something about it.

In a recent USA Today OpEd , Harvard epidemiologist, Tyler VanderWeele, presented the growing body of evidence that religious participation is – quite literally – good for you. Multiple studies have shown that regular church attendance is beneficial for one’s mental and physical health. In the colorful language of the article, religion is a “miracle drug.”

Oh my. I recently cited a paper on the evolution of embryonic development and how the evidence contradicts evolutionary theory and common descent. Even the evolutionists, though in understated terms, admitted there were problems. Evolutionary analyses are “reaching their limits,” it is difficult to “conclude anything about evolutionary origins,” genetic similarities “do not necessarily imply common ancestry,” and “conserved regulatory networks can become unrecognizably divergent.”

Eyewitness Accounts: Many people think the Bible is just like other “holy books” telling mythological stories or giving philosophical advice. Not true! Upon close examination one will find that the Bible with its 66 different books is written by at least 40 authors who were either eyewitnesses of the accounts or who record eyewitness testimony. These authors came and went over a period of about 1500 years yet they are so cohesive in their subject matter and theme to the point that the 66 books flow as one. In addition the Bible’s content and preservation is unmatched in ancient literature.

I thought I could escape it. I hopped a plane to Argentina, expecting peace and quiet from all the political turmoil. But only a few days after arriving in Buenos Aires, violent protests erupted a few blocks from our apartment. It seems the new president of Argentina is experiencing just as many mixed reviews as our own.

Jordan Peterson's debate with Cathy Newman on Channel 4 has gone viral. While people who regularly follow debates on feminism, the gender pay gap, postmodernism, and campus protests will be familiar with much of the discussion, there are important lessons here for everyone. David Wood mansplains them. PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=3615911 TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Acts17 FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... MINDS: https://www.minds.com/Acts17Apologetics WEBSITE: http://www.acts17.net

Many years ago, when I first became interested in Christianity, I encountered a book at a local bookstore entitled, The Lost Books of the Bible . As a new investigator of the claims of the New Testament, I was immediately intrigued. “What?” I thought, “There are books about Jesus that were lost?” I couldn’t help but wonder what these books said about Jesus and why they were allegedly “lost” in the first place. I bought the book and bean to research the historical texts it described. I was disappointed to discover that the book should have been titled, The Well Known, Late Lies About Jesus That Were Ignored By Christians Who Knew Better . These texts were never part of the New Testament canon. They were written late in history and rejected by everyone who knew the truth about Jesus of Nazareth.

Dr. @MichaelAYoussef 's new book, The Hidden Enemy, is now available for pre-order: https://buff.ly/2EjDlsb . Watch the TV Special with Dr. Youssef and host @ericmetaxas now: https://buff.ly/2EjPbCT . pic.twitter.com/TDwyaz1gFk

Honored to preach at @FBCJAX this evening and participate in the closing session of their Pastors’ Conference.
Join us live online now: http://fbcjax.com/live #JAXPC2018 https://twitter.com/fbcjax/status/957751228896866304 …

So that is my conviction. Now here are a few reasons why. And keep in mind I am not talking about the problem of plagiarism. That is plainly a sin. I am talking about the use of another man’s sermon or outline even if you do acknowledge that it comes from another person, in which case it wouldn’t be plagiarism. You are giving him credit for it. Perhaps it goes without saying, but not really. Preaching in worship is warranted by the Scripture. It is not just something we thought was a neat thing to do. And it is warranted by the very nature, I think, of God’s truth.

Greg is on a four-minute timer and answers questions about whether 2 Timothy 3:16 can be used to show the New Testament is inspired and whether or not things just happen that aren’t ordained by God. https://www.str.org/podcasts/strask-january-25-2018 … pic.twitter.com/AltWE5dg79

Of the many non-Christian explanations for the Resurrection, the “Swoon Theory” is amongst the most popular. If Jesus didn’t really die on the cross, His alleged “resurrection” is really nothing more than a remarkable “resuscitation”. Those who doubt Jesus’ death often point to the short amount of time Jesus spent on the cross prior to dying. Victims of crucifixion typically died slowly as a result of their pain, exposure to the environment, and lack of food or water. But Jesus only spent six hours on the cross; his rapid death was unusual given that some historical references to crucifixion describe it as lasting several days . Even the Biblical account describes Jesus early death as an exception. The Apostle John said the two criminals crucified alongside Jesus were still alive six hours after they were crucified so “the soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other” to make sure they would die before the Sabbath (John 19:31-34). Why then, did Jesus die so quickly on the cross? Can we be sure he died at

In a statement released on Twitter, a spokesperson said: "The reason the Google Assistant didn't respond with information about 'Who is Jesus' or 'Who is Jesus Christ' wasn't out of disrespect but instead to ensure respect.

In 1 Corinthians 2:2. Paul says, “I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” Like Paul, pastors must never tire of preaching Jesus. Pastors do not preach the words of men. They do not preach themselves. They do not preach their own wisdom or man-made techniques. They preach Christ and Him crucified. Jesus himself is the very heart of our message. All the promises of God are yes and amen in Jesus. Christ is all.

Can you get to Las Vegas for some awesome #apologetics ? Then do it! Hear @jwarnerwallace @Sean_McDowell @CraigHazen speak on topics ranging from Mormonism, Cold Case Christianity, and Darwinism!
Join Nate at a 'Biola on the Road' Event in Las Vegas! https://buff.ly/2nkJyw6 pic.twitter.com/H3faU4dfNC

But even the brief “age gap” caveats miss the point. “Call Me by Your Name” isn’t about an older man and a younger man. It falsely romanticizes an exploitative relationship between a grown man and a teenager. These manipulative relationships cause lasting damage, as I know from my own experience.

You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history.
Learn more

I don’t know where you are today. You may feel far away from God. Maybe you haven’t been to church in years, or maybe you’ve just been distant for a month or two. Maybe you’ve had one of those weeks where you thought, “I really don’t feel God’s presence in my life.” And yet we all long to be close to God. How do you get back to him?

He gives purpose to our suffering (Romans 8:28). My miscarriage didn’t happen in a vacuum. Both my child and I were created in God’s image, designed for his glory. My intentions for my child’s life were not the Lord’s intentions, and my timetable was not his timetable. He chose for that tiny person’s purpose to be fulfilled through seven weeks of life. He chose for my purpose to be further revealed through the death of that little one.

Exodus 28:3—"You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron's garments to consecrate him for my priesthood."
Pretty cool that there's a "spirit of skill."

Worship is an aspect of religion that I always found difficult to understand. Suppose we postulate an omnipotent being who, for reasons inscrutable to us, decided to create something other than himself. Why should he . . . expect us to worship him? We didn’t ask to be created. Our lives are often troubled. We know that human tyrants, puffed up with pride, crave adulation and homage. But a morally perfect God would surely have no character defects. So why are all those people on their knees every Sunday?

If we set our eyes only on a cure, rather than on the reality of our physical mortality, we may chase after treatments that not only fail to save us, but which also rob us of our capacities to think, communicate, and pray in our final days. We forget that if our healing is not within God’s will, we will need fortitude, peace, and discernment to endure. And if cure does not come, a single-minded focus on healing strands ourselves and those we love with unsettling doubts about the validity of our faith.

Sure, and among the standards is a proper view of who you are: the Ten Commandments — you might say the bones of the standards. God gives us a definition of ourselves. He tells us that we are creatures — we are actually made to meet him. Every human being, whether they love him or hate him, know him or repress the knowledge of him, needs him and lives dependent on his kindness. He tells us that we are sinful, that we have fallen short of love for him and a tender heart toward our neighbors, and, thus, we have come into judgment. But then consider the whole way that the Scripture comes; that is, it gets revealed in the context of redemption happening, of a God who moves into the human dilemma in order to bring grace and bring resolution. Those are all identity statements. Those are all true things about ourselves.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the bishops said: "If the enquirer [a person wanting their gender transition recognised by the Church] is already baptized and confirmed, the House notes that the Affirmation of Baptismal Faith, found in Common Worship, is an ideal liturgical rite which trans people can use to mark this moment of personal renewal."

This high school basketball player from a Chicago suburb scored the winning goal for his team by making an unbelievable shot from more than halfway across the court as the buzzer sounded http://cnn.it/2njqz4M pic.twitter.com/VvbNZEjYO6

Curing Students of Marxism.
1. Tell them their individual marks will be collected and shared, so everyone ends up with the same marks.
2. Watch the smart students quit the course.
3. End up with nothing to redistribute.
4. Everyone left fails.
Marxism defeated by Marksism.

" @JudicialWatch knew there were text messages to be had. We sued back in Sept for texts of the # two at the FBI, Andrew McCabe. And they just told us this week they gave us everything they were gonna give us and not one text message was turned over." https://www.theblaze.com/news/2018/01/28/judicial-watch-reveals-fbi-is-refusing-to-turn-over-more-text-messages-heres-who-they-belong-to/ …

They’re speaking Dutch in the background, from the conversation I can tell the person sitting next to the water is a kid. He was scared of the bird, and accidentally dropped the cap with water. The adult next to him then helped out.

Christians today are facing more challenges than ever. The Poached Egg exists to equip Christians to meet those challenges and be more confident in their faith and become more effective witnesses for Christ. If you find these articles and posts useful, please consider partnering with me in 2018 to continue this work that God has laid on my heart. As someone once said, the Gospel is free, but someone has to pay for the plumbing. You can become a monthly partner for just as little as $5 a month (that’s only $60 a year), the price of a gourmet cup of coffee. Special one time gifts are welcome and encouraged as well. Will you help?

Did dinosaurs do ritualized mating dances? Maybe. We do not know. There is no reason to think that they did not. After all, a number of modern reptiles, like modern birds, use display behavior to attract their mates. But a dinosaur courtship dance would not be evidence linking dinosaurs to birds in an evolutionary ancestral way. In any case, whatever “dance” the animals, whose claw marks are preserved in Colorado’s Dakota Sandstone, were doing—and we would propose the tracks more likely represent a disorganized effort to flee—the fact that massive groups of tracks are preserved as they are attests to the catastrophic event that put an end to their lives. As the global Flood of God’s judgment overtook them, these dinosaurs scrawled their final epitaph in the Dakota Sandstone, a testimony to the truth of God’s Word.

Christians today are facing more challenges than ever. The Poached Egg exists to equip Christians to meet those challenges and be more confident in their faith and become more effective witnesses for Christ. If you find these articles and posts useful, please consider partnering with me in 2018 to continue this work that God has laid on my heart. As someone once said, the Gospel is free, but someone has to pay for the plumbing. You can become a monthly partner for just as little as $5 a month (that’s only $60 a year), the price of a gourmet cup of coffee. Special one time gifts are welcome and encouraged as well. Will you help?

"If you are serious about wanting to improve education, do not vote more money for the education establishment that has been dumbing down the schools for years. Vote for vouchers, tax credits, or anything else that will transfer decision-making power to parents."

All was well for another half century, but by the end of the nineteenth century some astronomers thought that they saw slight discrepancies in the orbits of Uranus and Neptune, which meant that there might be a ninth planet farther out whose gravity was responsible. However, the situation was a bit different this time—the discrepancies were very small. This meant that the hypothesis of a ninth planet was not well defined, resulting in great uncertainty in its predicted position. This problem caught the fancy of Percival Lowell (1855–1916), an astronomer who had founded his own research observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, in 1894. Lowell developed techniques to speed the search. He used a special telescope designed to take wide-field photographs of the sky. Astronomers took photographs of the same part of the sky a few nights apart. The stars remained fixed, but any orbital body shifted position on the two photographs. Examining a pair of photographs for any shifting object was laborious. Lowell invented a blink comparator to make it easier, but the work was still tedious. Along the way, Lowell and his assistants discovered many asteroids.

As you know, we have been examining the authorship of the New Testament letters over the past few weeks. Thus far, we have learned that good reasons exist to accept the apostles Matthew and John as authors of the First and Fourth Gospels; John Mark as the author of the Second Gospel, who in turn served as a preserver of Simon Peter’s testimony; Dr. Luke, the beloved physician and colleague of Paul, as the author of the Third Gospel; Paul as the most reasonable author for the 13 letters attributed to him; and most likely Luke as the author of Hebrews. But what about the letter attributed to James? Who is the most likely candidate for the pastoral letter? That is the topic of this article.